Reading them might work better.

Some people make a big deal of it, but I don't. Every book I have, I read, or at least read some of it. I admit, I try to be pretentious sometimes and read dry books, but even then, I read it to glean useful information, and not to be an idiot.

i have always owned alot of books but not to make people think i'm smarter but to actually try to be smarter. sometimes i am amused that people are impressed by something that has always came to me so easily.

Depends on the books and on whether you have ever read them. And Dr. Seuss doesn't count people! :)

You might even want to try reading them.

Even better would be READING those books.

I remember an episode of All in the Family in which authorities were using Archie's house for surveillance against a neighbor. He looked through the window with his own binoculars and said, "Look, he's got books on the wall in his living room. He must be a subversive."

Szinhonshu is right AND you can go too far in the opposite direction too..you may be very, very smart indeed, but having a lot of, for example, Edith Wharton or Henry James books could make you seem like a smart, but snobby and pretentious person.

However, appearance intelligence points are to be subtracted if the books are Harlequin Romances and Stephen King novels.

I've got books under my bed, in my closet, on my nightstand, and in my bookshelf. I've got so many that I could probably open my own library.

Sorry, intelligence cannot be bought and transferred by osmosis.

My hubby and I have 2 walls full of books. You can be book smart but still lack common sense.

Impressive to the feeble-minded. But, then again, if you're trying to impress people by making them think you're smarter than you are, your target audience probably fits that category.

I read about a great book.The wit and wisdom of FDR.It cost 20 dollars,which seems like an awful lot to pay for a 5 page book.

I love peeking at people's bookshelves and (when they aren't looking) pulling a book out to see if it makes that particular 'never been opened' sound that all readers recognize. . .

I dont think so. While those who I know who love to read are typically pretty intelligent, they also can be a little out of touch. If all of your ideas and 'intellect' is coming from books you will be out of sync with the real world to an extent. I once interviewed for a job with a young cat (Director level Sales pro)who had never worked for anyone but his dad and bragged that he had read over 100 "how to be a success" books. Every point or reference he made of course came out of one of these books. He seemed smart but it was plain to see that he did not have a single thought of his own. The manager I had interviewed with before begged this boob to hire me but his "books" had told him that I had all the signs of someone that would quit too soon.. What an idiot. If he had any practical experience he would have known that the average salesman overall changes jobs more than every three years. Its almost an industry standard. Perfect example of what Im referring to here.

It depends - law books, medical books, encyclopedias vs the complete collections of Danielle Steele or Dean Koontz. Could make a big difference in someone's perception. Still, I dont think you would impress anyone for long if you selected books too far out of your range. Id be more impressed by someone who admitted to liking the former if that was actually the truth.

If the titles say stuff like "Quantum Physics", sure. Less so if the titles say stuff like "My Pet Goat" and you don't have any children.

I don't think that simply owning the books would be enough to achieve the desired effect. I mean, people would have to see them, wouldn't they? And if you invite people home to show the books off then you had better be prepared to answer a few questions about them. You'd have to be a pretty good bullsh**er to carry it off, I think.

Always carry one around with you with a book mark in it to show people just how much you are into reading it. (PS: leave the Clift Notes at home so no one catches on to your little scheme).

oh yes. put those smart looking books in front. be sure to read a few pages here and there to make it look like you really read it.hide the trashy novels you really do read in the back.